


Sapphic Waters

by SaltinesAndPeanutButter



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Not Canon Compliant, Titanic AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2018-12-19 03:52:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11889420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaltinesAndPeanutButter/pseuds/SaltinesAndPeanutButter
Summary: Pearl and Rose fall in love on a ship similar to the Titanic on Homeworld.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story will update at least once a week, maybe more if I feel like it.

Rose Quartz cut 9DL Facet 9TB was not looking forward to sailing back to her side of Homeworld. She wouldn't mind as much if she hadn't been set up for courting by Pink Diamond and if she hadn't been assigned an Angel Aura Quartz to supervise her after she was caught trying to hack the launch pad near the Eastern Province. The ship was called the Rosado Brillante, after Pink Diamond herself who had discovered the material to build it out of on Earth. Supposedly, this ship would be able to withstand the acidic oceans of Homeworld better than any ship in history. After Rose got back to her side of Homeworld, she would be legally bound to Pink Agate, who for some reason has amassed a hoard of Pearls, whom she took everywhere with her. There were easily at least twenty-three of them. To most gems, the Rosado Brillante was a ship of dreams. But for Rose it was a servant ship, taking her back in chains.

 

Pearl defect cut 5CL Facet 2YV was one of the many pearls in Pink Agate's entourage. Other gems looked upon Pink Agate like a saint for taking in all the defects, but it's obvious to Pearl as well as anyone with a lick of sense that Pink Agate was merely taking in all the defective pearls for good publicity. She could not care less about them, as she already had a Perfect Pearl of her own. Pearl followed Pink Agate in a single file line, just like she was supposed to along with all the other defective pearls. Pink Agate had planned to only take her Perfect Pearl along but she figured it would be bad publicity to leave the defectives behind, but there were so many of them that they would have to be placed in third class. Once on board Pearl would be able to wander pretty much anywhere, as Pink Agate didn't recognize most of her pearls anyway. One small taste of freedom, but it would have to last an eternity.

 

Rose Quartz boarded the ship with her Angel Aura Quartz and Pink Agate, where they were assigned a personal deck due to Pink Agate's first class status by a Larimar. Meanwhile Rose decided to decorate her quarters with paintings made by a Tiger's Eye. 

"Goodness me, these paintings are aghast to my eyes." Pink Agate said in disgust. 

"Just because I have refined taste doesn't mean these are bad. These are done by a new Tiger's Eye, too. So she'll probably paint more of them. Next time we're in the Orange District we ought to pay her a visit." Rose replied.

"Hah! If I were Pink diamond I would have her shattered for creating such monstrosities. Look, that portrait of our Diamond and her Pearl is clearly a propaganda piece meant to dissuade people from their loyalty to the Diamonds. She placed the Pearl above our Brilliant Diamond!"

"Her Pearl is literally just sitting next to her on the throne."

"Alright, alright shut up the both of you. 9DL is enough of a nuisance when she has her mouth shut, we don't need anyone to provoke her." Angel Aura snapped.

Rose rolled her eyes. Eventually it was time for the daily gathering to listen to more Diamond propaganda.

Rose sat at a table with Pink Agate and Angel Aura, who listened intently to the propaganda as if their lives depended upon it. Well, their lives DID depend on it, but for someone who didn't care about her life, there was no use to listen.

"I need to be excused." Rose said in a rushed whisper. She didn't even wait for permission from Angel Aura before she walked briskly out of the room. Once she was out of the room, she ran as fast as she could towards the back of the ship.

Meanwhile Pearl was laying on a bench, staring at the stars. Wishing she could sail up there in space instead of these nasty boiling green acidic oceans. A pearl would never be able to do something like that in a million years, though. After a few minutes of daydreaming later, she saw someone running. A large Pink Quartz. A Rose Quartz, most likely. 

"Well, what do I know. I'm just a pearl, I'd probably get in trouble trying to investigate. Heck, I'm in enough danger just being out of third class." Pearl thought to herself. 

"It's best not to intervene." She thought a minute later. Then Pearl figured it was getting late and she should return to third class, but when she raised up she saw the Rose Quartz dangling off the back of the ship.

"If I know about this and I don't try to stop her then I might get into even more trouble than if I just ignored her. I'd better check on her. Under code 492188 any and all gems are legally obligated to stop a gem seeking to kill herself." Pearl thought.

Pearl cautiously walked to the back, trying to be as quiet as possible. Rose was staring down at the seemingly bottomless green ocean, asking herself if she really wanted to do this.

Pearl reached her hand out hesitantly, wondering what to say.

"Don't jump." She said out loud finally. The Rose Quartz turned around, looking at Pearl questioningly.

 "Stay back. The acid splash from when I jump is sure to get you. Pearls already have it tough as it is, and I see that you're defective, I don't want to make life any harder for you by giving your gem an acid burn." Rose said.

"No, just come back over the railing. If you care about Pearls so much, then you should realize that I'll be in a great deal of trouble if I don't stop you from jumping. I may even be shattered, depending on how Pink Diamond is feeling at the moment."

"Ok, ok. Just don't come any closer. I'm still thinking about it."

"What's your name?" Pearl asked, trying to lighten the situation. 

"Rose Quartz 9DL Facet 9TB."

"Well, I'm a defective pearl, 5CL Facet 2YV."

"Why are we talking about names? Go away, I want to get this done quick. If your owner asks if you saw me, just lie."

"I literally can't do that, Rose. It's my job to make sure that you don't jump now! We can't lose anymore Quartzes what with the new planet that was discovered. Why are you wearing a dress anyway? I thought Quartzes were forbidden from that type of attire." 

"We are, but I'm off duty for two decades. I tried to hack into something and failed. Now leave me alone."

"For the second time, I literally cannot do that. If you jump, then I'll be legally obligated to jump in after you."

"You're out of your gem. You'll be killed too. Your gem will dissolve in minutes without a watertight cover."

"Yes, but like I said; I am literally obligated to do so. If I don't then I'll be shattered. If I do, I'll be dissolved. It's lose-lose, but that's been my whole existence so I don't care much."

"But shattering is quick. Dissolving is slow and painful. It would hurt alot."

"Yes, I know that. I know how these oceans feel, my previous owner nearly left me here for dead, but Pink Agate took pity upon me. But honestly, what's more worrisome is that once you go under without a life jacket you're doomed. The pressure will keep you down there and there are no warp pads. These oceans are the only place in the universe where gems cannot survive. It's also very hot, which can damage certain types of gemstones."

"How hot?"

"Boiling. Probably a little hotter, since we're in the open ocean."

Rose looked down at the ocean with a slight grimace on her face.

"I can tell you from experience, it's not pleasant. Water that hot hits you with the feeling of a million hot swords slicing you into tiny pieces. You can't think about anything but the pain."

"But if you were dropped in the ocean how did you survive?"

"Well, I wasn't even halfway done being lowered in when Pink Agate pulled me out! She and my owner were facetmates, they've never spoken since that incident though."

"Hmm." Rose said, now more hesitant than ever.

"In all honesty, I'm hoping you'll let me help you off the rail and get me out of trouble here."

"You're crazy! Just blindly following orders like you talk about doing is crazy!" Rose exclaimed. 

"Yes, I certainly am defective. But I'm not the one dangling off the edge of a ship now am I?"

Rose sighed, still looking down at the water.

"Now give me your hand and I'll bring you onto the other side." Pearl offered again.

"Ok." Rose said. She gave Pearl her hand and started to climb up the rails. It was going smoothly until she tripped over the hem of her dress. Pearl nearly fell in after her, but she hooked her feet under a rail just in time. Rose was so heavy that Pearl would definitely be falling in after her in a few minutes. 

"You need to grab onto the rails with one of your hands!" Pearl instructed.

"That's crazy!"

"Just do it!"

But Rose refused to comply with Pearl's instructions, so Pearl was resigned to simply use her knowledge of physics. She leaned back, with her feet still hooked on the rail, and pulled Rose up that way. "It's a good thing I don't have a vertebrae like those creatures on Earth" Pearl thought "because it would have broken just now."

Angel Aura, Pink Agate and a bunch of Larimars soon stormed the deck.

"Ma'am, does this Pearl belong to you?" A Larimar inquired.

"No." Rose answered, scared for her life despite just trying to take it herself.

The same Larimar turned to Pearl and asked if her owner had sent her to Rose, and Pearl answered no.

Pink Agate's face lit up. "Hold on just a moment! That's one of my pearls!" She exclaimed, grabbing Pearl by the arm and pointing out the armband with Pink Agate's name monogrammed on it.

"Well, we'll let you handle this then, ma'am." A Larimar said, leading the rest of them away.

Pink Agate grabbed Pearl by the front of her jacket, pulling her inches away from her face.

"What in the name of the Diamonds were you doing out of third class?" Pink Agate demanded

"I- I was admiring the stars, my Agate. Then I seen this Rose Quartz leaning dangerously far over the edge just as I was about to retire to steerage, and I went to warn her that she was about to fall over." Pearl said, coming up with a lie on the spot.

Pink Agate dropped Pearl and went up to Rose Quartz

"Is that why you left the Diamond Sanctuary? To stare at the water?!?!?!"

"Yes, I had heard that the um..." 

"Yes?"

"That the propellers were quite a sight, and I almost fell overboard but your Pearl here saved me!"

"Is that true?" Pink Agate asked Pearl.

"Yes, my Agate."

"Well I guess this pearl is a hero, then!" Angel Aura declared.

"Why don't you join us at the Diamond Sanctuary Service tomorrow evening?" Pink Agate offered with much hesitation. She was clearly uncomfortable with the thought of a defective sharing a table with her first class peers.

"Sure." Pearl accepted the offer humbly.

 


	2. Chapter 2

When Rose returned to her quarters with Pink Agate, the atmosphere was of course very tense. In fact it was so tense between Rose and Pink Agate that Angel Aura returned to the Diamond Sanctuary instead of doing her job of supervising Rose Quartz.

"I know you've been feeling kind of down." Pink Agate said out of nowhere.

Rose looked questioningly at Pink Agate. Since when has Pink Agate ever cared about someone's feelings besides her own and Pink Diamond's?

"So I'm giving you this." Pink Agate said, before she opened a small box which contained a heart shaped piece of jewelry.

"What is this?"

"It's a Sapphire necklace. I was planning on giving it to you after we got off the ship, but I know how you've been feeling lately"

"Made from...a real Sapphire?"

"Why, yes! She disobeyed Pink Diamond and had to be shattered. But her gem was so beautiful that Pink Diamond wanted it to be cut and made into jewelry, or so the story goes. She gave it to me, since I'm among the most loyal gems in her court."

"This is disturbingly morbid." Rose thought to herself as she started at the chunk of gemstone in her hands.

"This used to be someone's body. This was someone's life." Rose said solemnly.

"A traitor's life." Pink Agate retorted. Rose sat down in front of the vanity and put on the necklace, eyeing it hesitantly in the mirror. Pink Agate sat down next to her and began to talk again. 

"You know, Rose. There's nothing I can't give you. There's nothing I will deny you. If only you don't deny me." 

Rose stared at Pink Agate, visibly uncomfortable.

"Open your heart to me, Rose." Pink Agate said. 

Rose turned her head and stared into her own reflection's eyes while clutching the Sapphire in her hand.

 

After spending the night in steerage, Pearl decided to wait a while until she would wander around again. She knew that Pink Agate would in all likelihood hold a roll call after last night's incident. And she was right. It was barely Eight AM when Pink Agate came stomping down the stairs with her actual pearl, holding an electronic clipboard. 

"Attention! All pearls belonging to Pink Agate report to the stairs at once." Pink Agate yelled.

Pearl and all her defective peers followed the order. Pink Agate's pearl went by, checking the armband of every single defective pearl. All thirty-seven of them. Occasionally she made vapid comments, telling certain pearls to "stand taller" and "look straight ahead". Of course Pearl was no exception to Pink Agate's pearl's scrutiny.

"Stop fidgeting, 5CL-2YV." She said in a snide, obnoxious voice. But Pearl couldn't be all that mad at her, it's not like Pink Agate's pearl had much of a choice. If she was too lenient of the defectives, then she would be punished in some horrible way. But Pink Agate's pearl had one privilege over the others: she did not go by a number, even though she had one. Everyone called her "Pink Agate's pearl" instead of her number, which was 6CL Facet 8YV. After the roll call was done, Pearl waited a little while before going out onto the public deck like she did last night. When she did, she seen Rose Quartz sitting on the first class deck. Since Rose was the only one up there, she figured it would be fine to pay a visit.

"Rose! Hello Rose!" Pearl said as she reached the top of the stairs.

"Hi Pearl!" Rose replied.

"Have a seat." Rose said as she patted the seat next to her. Pearl sat down beside Rose, taking in the beauty of her hair. Even though pink hair wasn't uncommon among gems, Pearl had never seen hair as beautiful as Rose's.

"Do you know where Pink Agate is?" Pearl asked.

"No, she left our quarters early this morning and I haven't seen her since. Come to think of it, I haven't seen Angel Aura either. She went to the Diamond Sanctuary last night and never came back.":

"Well, I asked because we may not want to just sit idly by if she decides to come looking for one of us. It would be better to be on the move." 

"I assume you've done your fair share of sneaking around authority?"

"You would be correct." Pearl answered as she stood up.

"Come on." Pearl said as she motioned with her hand to Rose. Rose stood up and started walking alongside Pearl. 

"Tell me about yourself." Rose said. 

"Well, ok. I emerged 20,000 years ago. I came out defective, and my original owner was fine with me being defective but then one day out of nowhere she decided to donate me. That was 6,000 years ago. My second owner was merely interested in a piece of arm candy, and she was the closest facetmate to my original owner so I was donated to her. She tolerated the fact that I was defective until she became fed up with me. It really all started when one day I accidentally broke her telescope. So she decided she would lower me into the ocean, which I've already told you about. That was 5,000 years ago, and I've belonged to Pink Agate ever since. Which is honestly such a lucky break, I wouldn't be here today without her being so merciful. I was actually the first defective pearl she ever took in. The local media was all over the story, and so she kept collecting defectives for publicity."

"Wow, that is certainly...a hard life you've had, Pearl. I'm sorry to hear about all of that." Rose said, feeling guilty for having attempted suicide when Pearl's life had been so much harder than hers.

"Yes, but at least I won't be left in the ocean to die again."

"Speaking of the ocean, I want to say thank you for what you did last night. For saving me, and for lying to your owner when it could've gotten you in serious trouble."

"Even if it wasn't obligated by law, I would've done it anyway." Pearl said blushing slightly.

"But I know what you must be thinking. Poor little Quartz soldier, what does she know about suffering?"

"No, not at all. I wasn't thinking that. I was wondering what happened to you that made you think there was no way out?"

"It's just my life. My entire life, I've been fed lies. About pearls, my fellow quartzes, and the diamonds themselves. I got so fed up with the propaganda that I made a half-assed attempt at starting a rebellion. The first step in my plan was to hack into a launch pad near the Eastern Province to sabotage a mission to Earth. I did a bad job, and I was caught by my manager. She assigned Angel Aura to supervise me and make sure I didn't start any more trouble, and right after that Pink Diamond set me and Pink Agate to court and eventually become legally bound to each other. My life is just going too fast, and I can't pull the brakes. I have no control. Last night Pink Agate gave me this awful necklace, made from a real Sapphire who once lived." 

"That certainly is disturbing when you think about it."

"The day after we get off the ship, Pink Agate and I are to be legally bound. There are supposed to be at least 500 attendees, probably more. I feel like I'm screaming in a crowded room and nobody even bothers to take notice."

"Do you love her?" Pearl asked.

"What?"

"Do you love her?"

"That's very personal. You really shouldn't be asking me this."

"It's exceedingly simple, Rose. Do you love Pink Agate or not?"

"This is not a proper conversation for us to be having."

"Why can't you just give an answer?"

Rose started walking away, and then she turned around to face Pearl again.

"This is silly. We don't know each other and we are not having this conversation. You are rude, and unprofessional and I am leaving right now. That will be all, 5CL-2YV." Rose said half-jokingly. Pearl just smiled at Rose with a knowing grin.

"I wanted to thank you, and I have and I will be leaving now." Rose added a second later, shaking Pearl's hand. The hand shaking went on for a few seconds too long, and Pearl just laughed to herself on the inside.

"Weren't you supposed to be leaving, Rose?"

"Oh, I am!" Rose said turning away. She took a few steps and then turned around again to face Pearl like she had done earlier. 

"You are such a smartass!" Rose exclaimed while Pearl struggled to hold in her giggles.

"Wait a minute. This is my part of the ship. You're the one who should leave. That will be all, 5CL-2YV."

"Now look who's being rude!" Pearl retorted. Rose smiled and walked back up to her again. 

"Tell me more about yourself." Rose said. 

"In addition to the other things I told you about, I'm also an artist." Pearl said.

"May I see some of your drawings?"

"Of course!" Pearl said before she summoned her sketchbook from her gem.

"I'm really not supposed to have this, so don't tell Pink Agate."

"I won't." Rose said, taking a few minutes to look through the book. 

"These are very good." Rose said, astonished.

"Extremely good, actually. It's extremely skilled work." Rose added.

"Yes well, a pearl can't get around by herself with just her sketches."

Rose flipped through the book some more and came across a few nude sketches. 

"Are these all drawn from life?" Rose asked.

"Yes. That's the good thing about the Yellow District. Nobody bats an eye at a pearl on her lonesome and there are lots of gems willing to take their clothes off for art." Pearl said.

Rose noticed the same gem, a Jade, drawn at least four times in a row.

"You liked this gem. You've drawn her alot." Rose noted aloud.

"She had very expressive hands."

"I think you must've had a love affair with her."

Pearl giggled at that suggestion. "No, no, no, just her hands." Pearl clarified.

"This Citrine right here, she sat on a bench downtown every evening. She never told me why, other than that she was waiting for someone." Pearl pointed out.

"You have a gift, Pearl. You really do. You see gems, right through their gemstones and capture their essence." 

"I see you."

"And what do you see?"

"That you wouldn't have jumped."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I'm so sorry I know I said this would update weekly but school is kicking my ass right now.

Pearl heard footsteps coming from what sounded like just around the corner.

"Is that Pink Agate?" She asked.

"I don't know. It could be."

Pearl quickly inserted the sketchbook back into her gem. She didn't need the embarrassment of confiscation today. Soon the footsteps did make their way around the corner, and they belonged to Angel Aura, who looked remarkably miffed. 

"9DL 9TB, it's high time you stop wandering around the deck with The Diamonds know who, and start returning back to our quarters to prepare for the Diamond Sanctuary Service."

"I'm not wandering around with a random gem. I'm getting acquainted with the pearl who saved my life last night. You ought to show her some respect."

Angel Aura just rolled her eyes. 

"It'd do you well to shut your mouth and not boss your superiors, 9DL. I'll show this pearl respect if I think she deserves it, and under no other conditions."

"But just last night you declared her a hero." Rose protested.

"Yes, I did but it isn't last night anymore, now is it? She was a hero last night and she will accompany us to the Diamond Sanctuary Service tonight and then she will go back to how she was before."

Meanwhile, Pearl stood silent like how she'd been taught to do. She couldn't even have a say in an argument about herself, and the irony certainly wasn't lost on her.

"Now, if you'll excuse us, Rose and I need to meet with Pink Agate and prepare for the service tonight." Angel Aura said to Pearl.

"If that's alright with you, 'Miss Hero'." She added a second later in a facetious tone.

Pearl watched Rose and Angel Aura turn the corner, as she was left alone. 

"What kind of preparation do they need to do in order to sit in a room and listen to propaganda for two hours? For that matter, what kind of preparation takes three hours to do for such a mind-numbingly dull activity?" Pearl asked herself. In any case, Pearl figured that it would be wise to return to steerage for the next few hours rather than loiter on the first class deck. When she did get to third class, she just kind of sat around and stared at the clock, which was very boring but no more boring than listening to propaganda would be.

When Rose returned to her quarters with Angel Aura, Pink Agate was waiting on them.

"Where have you been all morning?" Pink Agate asked Rose.

"I've been on the first class deck talking to the Pearl who saved my life last night."

"Well we need to prepare for the Service immediately. Here are the pamphlets for tonight." Pink Agate said as she handed a pamphlet to Rose and Angel Aura.

"Blue Diamond's emerging hole myth debunked!" The pamphlet title read.

"How big would a Diamond's hole need to be? Everyone knows that there isn't a kindergarten big enough anywhere on Homeworld for a Diamond." Rose thought aloud.

"But some treasonous gems believe that The Diamonds are just like us, and Blue Diamond has been the most recent target of such slander. Hopefully this sermon will clear up this nonsense and expose any traitors for who they truly are!" Pink Agate exclaimed.

Rose signed at the pretentious pious ramblings of Pink Agate. 

"Well, it's nearly time for the Service to start. We should leave now if we want to make it to the other end of the ship in time." Angel Aura suggested. 

Pearl was waiting at the top of the staircase when Rose arrived with Pink Agate and Angel Aura.

"Hello, Pearl."

"Rose, how have you been?"

"We just talked three hours ago."

"A lot can happen in three hours. All I did was stare at the clock in steerage."

"I had to read a thirty page pamphlet on tonight's sermon. Apparently there are some people who think that The Diamonds actually came from a hole like we did." 

"If they don't come from a hole, then tell me, where did they come from?"

"They didn't come from anywhere. They've just always been here."

"That's silly and you know it." Pearl whispered quietly so as to not be overheard by anyone else. Rose just rolled her eyes in frustration.

"Anyway, we should be going to the Sanctuary now." Rose said as she took Pearl's hand. They walked down the stairs and met Pink Agate and Angel Aura at the end. 

"Everyone, this is pearl Cut 5CL Facet 2YV. She saved my life last night." Rose announced to the crowd of first class gems waiting for the Service to begin.

"Hello, 5CL. It's a joy to meet you formally." Pink Agate said to Pearl. 

"She's literally one of your own pearls." Rose said.

Pink Agate ignored Rose's comment and waited for Pearl's response.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well." Pearl replied.

"So tell us, how are the conditions in third class?" Angel Aura inquired.

"Well, I must say that they're the best I've seen in my life so far. It's remarkably clean, and I've yet to see a single speck of dirt."

"Oh, well that must be a testament to the lovely group of Seaglasses on board! For such low class gems they are certainly keeping the place spic and span!" Angel Aura replied.

Eventually after much small talk, it was time for the Service to begin. Rose and Pearl sat next to each other, and Pearl took a mental note of how uncomfortable the pews were. They were much more uncomfortable than the benches in third class. 

"Now, we are all gathered here this evening to debunk a ludicrous claim that Blue Diamond emerged from a hole like the rest of us." The Chrysoprase leading the sermon stated.

"As you can see here, this is a photograph of an average sized hole. It probably belonged to anywhere from a citrine to a quartz, judging from size." She continued.

"This is nonsense." Pearl thought.

"If this is what's fit for a 'hero' then I don't want to be one." She added mentally a moment later. Pearl tapped Rose on the shoulder, as she had just came up with an idea. Rose looked down at her with a questioning look on her face.

"You should come back to third class with me after this is over." Pearl whispered extremely quietly to Rose.

"I'd love to, but I might not be able to get away from-" Rose was cut off by the Chrysoprase leading the sermon.

"You there in the fifth row. The pearl next to the quartz. What are you doing?" The Chrysoprase asked.

"Oh, well, she was just asking me a question about-" Rose was cut off yet again.

"Well, why doesn't she ask me, the person who is knowledgeable about this topic rather than another audience member, hm?"

"Oh, I was wondering if the size of citrines varied much, since you mentioned that the hole was average sized and it could've belonged to a citrine, ma'am." Pearl said.

"That is tangential but I'll answer it anyway. Citrines can be anywhere from five and a half feet to seven feet tall. Does that answer your question, pearl?"

"Yes, it does. Thank you ma'am."

"As I was saying, Kindergartens are efficient for producing lots of smaller gems, from five inches to twenty feet tall, but our radiant Diamonds are upwards of fifty feet tall. No Kindergarten here on Homeworld would ever be able to produce a single Diamond, let alone four of them!"

The Chrysoprase droned on and on about banal facts about Kindergartens that everyone knows for the next few hours until the Service was over. Afterwards, Rose and Pearl surreptitiously made their way down to steerage.

"Won't someone recognize me and get you in trouble?" Rose questioned just as they were about to turn the doorknob.

"Well, steerage is so crowded that nobody will notice in all likelihood. If someone does, then they probably won't report it because nearly everyone has a disdain for upper classes." Pearl explained shortly before she turned the doorknob.

"You were right, there is no dirt to be seen." Rose commented as she looked around the place.

"Now, quarters here are quite cramped, I hope you don't mind. I share mine with three other pearls."

"Do they belong to Pink Agate too?"

"Why yes, of course. No gem would place a perfect pearl in steerage."

"Is this third class made up entirely of pearls, then?"

"No, I've seen some peridots and rubies around as well. There are probably more gems than those, and to be fair I haven't been paying much attention since I met you." Pearl elaborated, to which Rose nodded.

"Oh, one more thing. You'll have to forgive the cramped space, this room wasn't designed for a large quartz like yourself." Pearl added quickly before she opened the door.

"Where are the other pearls?" Rose asked.

"Beats me. It's none of my business, anyway. Have a seat." Pearl said, pointing to a tiny stool in the corner of the room next to the port hole.

After Pearl and Rose were seated, Rose noted aloud that the water splashed on the porthole quite often.

"Yes it does, and on any other ship it would be an immense safety hazard. But on this one, the thicker and stronger material shields us all from the acid."

"You seem to know a lot about technical stuff like this."

"I've had a lot of time to read. Technically low class gems aren't supposed to do the whole reading thing, but I have my ways." Pearl said as she tapped her gem with her index finger.

"You have books and stuff in your gem...all the time?"

"Why, yes. It's the only way to reliably transport knowledge. I guess you could say I'm a walking library, but the truth is that at any moment it could all be confiscated. Random scanning of our gems are subject to happen at the will of our owners but Pink Agate's never done one so far."

"So can all gems store things or-" Rose was asking before being cut off by another pearl.

"5CL you will not believe the fight between two rubies that just happened hear the Pink Diamond shrine a few minutes ago! I thought one of them would be poofed, but- hey, what're you doing with a quartz here?" The other pearl asked, who had a lumpy gem on her left hand.

"None of your business, 3CL! Come on, Rose, let's go." Pearl said annoyed, leading Rose by the hand out of the room.

"Let's sit over there, by the fountain." Rose suggested.

 

"It's been two hours!" Pink Agate shouted in exasperation.

"The Larimars we reported her missing to haven't found her yet. Do you think it's time to look for her ourselves?" Angel Aura suggested.

"Don't be silly. I'm not doing labor. You'll need to look for her. It's your job to supervise her, after all. Why did you let her out of your sight anyway?"

"I don't appreciate you ordering me around like a pearl. But nonetheless, I'll search for her."

"If you find her, don't speak to her or let her know you're there. The best kind of punishment is given when the victim doesn't realize they're in trouble until it's too late."

Angel Aura rolled her eyes before departing from her quarters. She searched the upper class decks for a while, and then had a revelation.

"If she's in steerage then I'll be fit to be tied!" She thought to herself. She descended down to steerage, slowly creaking the door open and looking inside the common area. Rose was sitting with that pearl near the fountain. 

"Well, I'll be damned." Angel Aura muttered to herself quietly

When Angel Aura was back at her quarters, she informed Pink Agate immediately. 

She took a deep sigh, preparing for Pink Agate's reaction. "I've found her."

"Where was she at?" Pink Agate said, clearly on the edge of her sanity.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but she was in third class with that pearl." Angel Aura said, bracing herself.

Pink Agate waited a few minutes, visibly suppressing her anger.

"I suppose we'll just order her to not see that pearl again in the morning when she returns. That will be all."

 

"Pearl, this has been great, but I need to get back to my quarters now." Rose said.

"I can walk you there, if you want."

"That would be lovely."

"Of course, when we're walking we'll need to be quiet lest someone overhear us talking."

Pearl and Rose walked up to the first class quarters and said goodnight. When Rose walked into the sitting room, she noticed the lights were off and that Angel Aura and Pink Agate were nowhere to be seen. The next morning, Rose and Pink Agate were to sit on Pink Agate's personal promenade deck in order to "appreciate the scenery." Rose was busy admiring the plants that decorated the deck, wondering if they were real ones harvested from Earth or fake ones for show. She would have to remember to ask Pearl about that later.

"I hoped you would visit me last night before retiring to your quarters." Pink Agate said.

"I was very tired after the Service. I said goodbye to Pearl and went straight to my quarters to rest after the Service."

"Yes, I suppose spending time with lower classes must be draining, no doubt about it."

"Angel Aura followed me? How typical of her. She's taking this job far more seriously than it seems. Or did you send her to look for me, hm?"

"You are to never cavort around with other gems like that again, do you understand me, Rose?"

"I'm not your pearl and you can't order me around as such. I'm your fiancé."

"'I'm your fiancé.'" Pink Agate said quietly and mockingly at first.

"Yes you are and yes I did send her to look for you! I'm tired of your antics! We are bound together in practice if not yet by law and you will honor me. You will honor me the way someone is required to honor her significant other, because I will not be made a fool. Is that clear?" Pink Agate yelled, getting louder every second and only inches away from Rose's face, making a mess of the Diamond Shrine set up on deck and cracking vases while she did it.

"Y-yes." Rose said shakily with fear, nodding her head.

"Very well." Pink Agate said, smiling like a tiger from earth, bearing her teeth inadvertently. 

"Now, if you will excuse me, I have business to attend to." Pink Agate added a second later, walking away.

Rose sat in shock, still quivering with fear. Pink Agate's pearl came rushing in.

"I'm sorry, we had- we had an accident." Rose stammered.

"Oh it's okay, ma'am, it's ok." Pink Agate's pearl said, trying to comfort Rose. There was no doubt in Rose's mind that Pink Agate was harsher on her pearls than anyone else.

"Let me help you." Rose said 

"No, it's alright, it's quite alright."

After Rose and Pink Agate's pearl cleaned up the mess, it was time for a sermon about how passengers are to stay inside their respective classes at all times. Rose went along with Angel Aura, and Pink Agate did not attend, probably due to the aforementioned business. When they arrived in the Sanctuary, a Larimar was standing at the podium. 

"Hello everyone. I have been asked to give a sermon to first class passengers only. Recently we had a case of a first class gem going missing in steerage, and this is unacceptable. Please do not cross class decks unless you are ordered to do so or unless it's absolutely necessary." The Larimar went on about class lines for a while, and once it was over, Rose and Angel Aura were scheduled to be on a tour of all the decks, which was presumably arranged by Pink Agate. The tour was to be lead by the bismuth who designed the ship herself. The tour was rather interesting to Rose, and she was sure that Pearl would've loved it if she were able to be there.

"Alright, are there any questions about the main deck before we move on?" The bismuth asked.

"Yes." Rose said, raising her hand. "I was thinking, I've done the math and it seems like there are only enough lifeboats for half of the passengers on this ship."

"I wanted to include three times the amount you see here, but my manager thought it would be too much of an eyesore."

The tour group moved past the navigation room, where a few of them overheard a warning for high concentration of acid-slabs.

"Not to worry, it's quite normal for this area of the sea. In fact, we're going to speed up soon so we can get out of the slab field even faster and make it to our destination a full day early." Captain Moonstone 4FG assured the tour group.

"It's a waste on a ship that's unsinkable anyway." A random gem from the crowd called out. Rose lingered behind the tour group, ever so slightly as she knew Angel Aura was only doing this job because Pink Diamond assigned her to it.

"Hey, Rose!" Pearl called out in a hoarse, whispery voice. Rose turned around in surprise.

"Pearl? How did you find me?"

"You asked me to meet you around midday, and I don't like disappointing people. Anyway, come in here I need to talk to you." Pearl said, pointing to a small windowless supply closet. Pearl closed the door behind her and Rose, but she was interrupted just as she was about to speak.

"Seriously, how did you get here?"

"I climbed the deck rails to get to this deck from the steerage deck. Anywa-" Pearl was cut off yet again.

"I really can't continue to see you like this. Pearl, I have a fiancé, and I'll be legally bound to Pink Agate. I love Pink Agate."

"Rose, you're not a smooth Diamond party. You're ignorant on issues related to lower class gems, and you're careless enough to let yourself get caught trying to start a rebellion; but besides that, you're the most amazing, wonderful, and astounding gem that I've ever known-"

"Pearl, I can't, I-"

"Just let me finish! I'm not an idiot, I know how Homeworld works. I'm defective and I'm on a permanent leash, I know all of that. But I'm far too involved now, and I can't leave without knowing that you'll be alright. That's all my conscience needs."

"I'm fine. I'll be fine, truly."

"Truly? I disagree. They've got you on a leash too!" Pearl said, pointing to the door.

"You're going to die in spirit if you don't get out, not right away because you're resilient and you can persevere but it'll happen eventually. Eventually all your courage and will power will burn out, just like an earth fire in the rain."

"It's not up to you to save me, Pearl." Rose said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Alright. I just wanted you to know-"

"Now leave me alone." Rose said, interrupting Pearl while closing the door on her way out.

Pearl stood in the closet, watching Rose walk away from her, possibly to never be seen again. She slumped her shoulders, wondering what she would do now.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for taking fourty-two days to complete this chapter. When I started this I had no idea it would take this long. I won't abandon this fic, though. It's just that school has been kicking my ass all month. I apologize a thousand times over for how long this took. If you're reading this and you've been dying to know what happens next I offer a thousand apologies for the delay. I will try my best to do better next time. Just bear with me. I hope to have another chapter out within the next week or so, but I'm not totally sure about that.

Later that evening, Rose attended the nightly Service with Pink Agate and Angel Aura.

"I can't believe that they're still going on about how Blue Diamond didn't emerge from a hole. They usually don't repeat topics like this." Rose thought to herself as she read the pamphlet, waiting for the Chrysoprase to begin speaking.

"Did you all hear about that flower harvesting scam carried out by a ruby on the Earth colony? She stole a bunch of flowers that a jasper ordered as her battle trophy. Gems these days are so disrespectful; when I first emerged everyone respected The Diamonds and wouldn't betray them at all!" Pink Agate fussed at her high-class peers.

"I do say, I hope that ruby is shattered! We can't have traitors like her undermining our progress with the new colony!" A yellow sapphire replied, to which the crowd of gems around her nodded in agreement. The Service was boring, as per usual. Afterwards Rose found herself wandering on the first class deck again, all by herself. She made her way to the front of the ship, where she saw Pearl.

"Rose, what're you doing here?" Pearl asked, turning around abruptly.

"I changed my mind about you." Rose replied.

"What made you change your mind in just a few hours?"

"I just don't want this type of life for myself, Pearl."

"I honestly can't blame you. I wish I could just make a choice like that."

"What're you doing in that book of yours?"

"I'm just mapping the stars. It's such a clear night tonight. A bit chilly but it'll work just fine."

"Are you just mapping the stars or constellations?" Rose asked.

"Constellations mostly but I'm charting important stars too. They say that the North Star will always lead you home."

"I wish I knew how to read star maps, if I did I'd be out of here in no time."

"I can teach you! I have a book on how to do just that with me right now! We'll have to find somewhere more secluded though, since only pilots and everyone above them are allowed to learn."

"Oh, that'd be swell!"

"If you get right to the edge of the bars there and look straight up, high enough to where you cant see the other parts of the ship it's like you're actually inside the stars."

"I don't want to fall, not on a night like this."

"I'll hold you to keep you from falling." Pearl offered.

"Ok." Rose agreed.

Pearl helped Rose up the the edge near the bars and held her firmly in place.

"It really is like you're flying through the stars." Rose said while giggling.

"These stars are so beautiful, I've longed to understand them for so long-" Rose continued.

"They're not as beautiful as you." Pearl interrupted.

Rose turned around and picked Pearl up and gave Pearl a sincere kiss on the lips. After she pulled away, Pearl looked shocked.

"Rose, what were you thinking?"

"You didn't like it?"

"No, I did, it's just that if anyone had seen that we'd both be shattered. We really must be more careful."

"We can go to the sitting room in my quarters to read that book." Rose suggested.

Rose and Pearl walked to the sitting room. Rose popped her head in through the doorway to check if Pink Agate or Angel Aura were there, and neither of them were.

"It's good, come on in." Rose said.

"I don't believe I've been in here before. This is all so fancy." Pearl observed aloud.

"Now where are we going to watch the stars from?" Pearl asked.

"I do have a private deck but someone could see us out there. It might be safer to look through one of the portholes."

"That'll greatly decrease our field of vision, but it'll do." Pearl said as she pulled up chairs to the porthole.

Rose sat down and opened the book. "Chapter one: constellations and basic navigation" she read aloud. 

"Oh, well we can skip that for now, give it here." Pearl said before she flipped to chapter five: "Star Map Comprehension"

"Now, the first thing you need to know about these types of maps is that-"

"Pearl, no offense but maybe we should do this another time. I mean, this is probably the only time that we'll get to be alone together in comfort." Rose said.

"Well, ok. What do you suggest we do during this time?"

"I thought maybe you could draw a portrait of me in your sketchbook?"

"Sure, what did you have in mind?"

"I thought I'd lay sideways on the sofa while wearing that Sapphire necklace." Rose answered.

"Ok."

 Rose laid down on the sofa waiting for Pearl's instructions.

"I think you need to move your left arm up a little bit." Pearl said. She gave a few more instructions like that, to which Rose responded:

"You're so serious, Pearl!"

"Well, art is serious business."

Making art takes time, but after a few hours of waiting the portrait was finally done. 

"What do you think, Rose?"

"It's great!" Rose exclaimed while taking it from Pearl's hands.

"What are you doing with it?"

"I'm putting it in this cabinet for safekeeping."

"Rose, if Pink Agate or Angel Aura find that you're as good as shattered. You need to give it to me, so I can keep it in my gem."

"No, I'm keeping it here."

"Well, ok." Pearl said.

"Rose, are you in there?" Angel Aura yelled from outside the door.

"Pearl, go into the back room." Rose whispered as she pushed Pearl towards the back room. Once they were there she closed and locked the door. 

"Yes, I'm very tired though!" Rose called back to Angel Aura.

"I'm coming in!" Angel Aura yelled as she unlocked the front door.

"Pearl, we need to crawl out the porthole." Rose whispered.

"And into the ocean?" Pearl whispered back.   

"No, there's a deck beside these rooms. Now go!" Rose said as she pushed Pearl out the window. Pearl landed on the deck with a semi-loud thud.

"What was that noise?" Angel Aura asked from the other room.

"Oh, nothing! I'm going to rest for a little bit so don't come in!" Rose yelled at Angel Aura as she climbed out the window, not even bothering to close it. 

"Rose what were you thinking! This whole scheme was so risky!" Pearl scolded.

"We haven't gotten caught yet, have we?"

"Well, from the looks of it, we're about to be." Pearl said.

"What do you mean?" Rose said as she turned around only to see Angel Aura running at them from the lower end of the deck.

 

 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God I'm really sorry for this chapter being pathetically late. I've had some...stuff going on in my life, to say the least!

"Go, go!" Rose yelled as she pushed Pearl ahead of her. 

"Where are we running to?" Pearl asked.

"It doesn't matter!"

Pearl and Rose ran around corners and down stairs, apologizing to the gems they bumped into and the inanimate objects they knocked over. 

"In here! In the elevator!" Rose shouted to Pearl.

Rose and Pearl jumped in right in the nick of time. They watched Angel Aura stare at them as they descended down until she was out of their view. Rose did manage to stick her tongue out at Angel Aura, to which Pearl was shocked.

"You can't disrespect authority like that! You're in enough trouble already!"

"Who cares?" Rose replied, to which Pearl rolled her eyes.

When the elevator had reached it's destination, they were shocked to find Angel Aura running down the hall towards the elevator entrance.

"We need to find the storage room, come on!" Rose said. She pulled them both inside the storage room when they got there and they stumbled upon a new spaceship. A small one, but a new one. Pearl quickly locked the door behind them.

"I wish we could check out the inside of that thing." Rose commented.

"It'll probably be incredibly easy to hack. This model is so new it probably doesn't even have a password yet." Pearl replied as she unlocked the doors effortlessly.

"It's a tight fit, but it'll work. It was probably built for rubies." Pearl said. 

Rose sat down cross-legged on the floor.

"Oh and it even has training simulations! Why, I could learn how to fly this thing in just a few days!" Pearl exclaimed before she pulled up one such simulation in which the ship was blasting through space faster than light itself.

"Sit down, Pearl." Rose said, patting the floor space next to her. Pearl flopped down on the floor next to Rose, laying down and staring at the simulation playing on the ceiling.

"This is so relaxing." Pearl sighed.

"Mhmm." Rose replied.

The two of them lay on the floor close to each other for a while until Pearl sat up out of nowhere.

"Why does my forehead feel so warm?" Pearl questioned while she felt her forehead.

"Your gem is glowing." 

"Well why would it be doing that for no apparent reason?"

"Mine is glowing too so we were probably going to fuse."

"We can't fuse here! If we did it would ruin this spaceship. Well, it may not ruin it comple-" Pearl cut herself off as she heard the door to the room open.

A door opened, followed by footsteps. Pearl took a peek outside of the ship's window.

"Angel Aura is back." Pearl whispered to Rose. 

Pearl grabbed Rose's arm and ran with her for what felt like the millionth time that night, and Angel Aura ran after them.

They ran down stairs and Pearl led Rose into the boiler room, and shut them inside quickly. 

"It's so loud in here!" Rose yelled with her eyes clenched closed. Pearl looked around the room for another exit. 

"Down there in the corner!" Pearl shouted back at Rose. Pearl opened the hatch and they descended down into a very hot room where hundreds of seaglasses were slaving away at maintaining fires.

"Alright, we just have to run to the other side an-" Pearl said to Rose.

"What're y'all doin' down here?" A seaglass shouted.

"None of your business! But you're all doing some fine work, keep it up!" Pearl replied.

They ran to the other end and took a stair case which emerged on the main deck.

"I can't believe we finally lost her." Rose said.

"Me neither, if I'm being honest." 

Rose leaned in for a kiss but was interrupted when something hit the ship. Large chunks of something gray fell onto the deck, scattering and making a mess.

"That wasn't an acid slab, was it?" Rose questioned aloud. 

Larimars stormed the deck to survey the damage. 

"That was definitely an acid slab." One larimar said into her communication device.

"Dear Diamond." Rose whispered. Rose and Pearl walked back to the side of the ship to see the acid slab.

"That's frightfully large. I've been on many boats before and I've seen nothing like it." Pearl observed.

Captain Moonstone came onto the deck and ordered the larimars to close the watertight doors.

"That's awful. All of those seaglasses we just saw will be dissolved." Rose noted.

"They don't care about their laborers, Rose. That's how it's always been."

"That doesn't make it less awful."

"I never said it didn't."

"We need to tell Pink Agate about this." Rose said.

Pearl and Rose ascended to the first class section and eventually to Pink Agate's quarters. Angel Aura was standing at the door.

"I've been looking for you both this evening."

"Mhmm." Rose replied.

Angel Aura opened the door and the first thing Rose seen was Pink Agate standing in the middle of the room with her arms crossed.

"I have lost two things very near and dear to me tonight. Luckily, one has decided to return to me and now that it has I have a good idea of where the other is. Tell me, defect cut 5CL Facet 2YV, did you honestly think you could fool me? I know that you stole that sapphire necklace from us. Angel Aura, search her gem with the plying device at once."

Angel Aura held Pearl's head still with her left hand and pulled everything out of Pearl's gem. Numerous books, tools, and other objects were extracted and tossed onto the floor.

"Is this what you're looking for, Pink Agate?" Angel Aura asked, holding the sapphire necklace in between the blades of the device. Pink Agate took the necklace and began to speak.

"I can't believe you, defect cut 5CL Facet 2YV. Actually, I can, because you're a defect it's not surprising you would behave this way. Not only did you steal from me, you also had fifteen pounds of objects that you are banned from possessing with you. Take her away this instant!"

"But Pearl couldn't have stolen that. I was with her the whole time." Rose objected.

"Her name isn't 'Pearl'! " Pink Agate barked.

As Angel Aura led Pearl away in chains, she shouted: "I didn't steal that, Rose! It's all nonsense! You can pull anything out of someone's gem if you know the code for it!"

Pink Agate closed the door and turned around to Rose, who was in shock. Pink Agate opened her mouth to speak again but instead slapped Rose across the face as hard as she could. 

"This is what you get when you disobey me, and I won't hav-" Pink Agate was cut off by a larimar entering the room.

"My Agate, I've been ordered to tell you to put on your gem covers and report to the upper de-"

"We are having a very serious moment here."

"I'm sorry to inconvenience you my Agate, but we cannot lose such a valuable gem like yourself. The water is very acidic and if your gem is hit with water the damage will be irreparable."

 "Oh, fine!" Pink Agate exclaimed. She dragged Rose to the first class siting room where a group of Tiger's Eyes were playing music, for some reason. They sat down at a table where Pink Agate began conversing with some upper crust peers of hers. Rose spotted the bismuth who gave the tour the other day and caught her attention.

"Bismuth, I saw the acid slab. I know you designed this ship. What's going on? Please be truthful."

The bismuth sighed regretfully. "This ship will sink. We have about an hour, probably less. You need to get to a lifeboat, and quickly."

Rose gasped in astonishment as the bismuth walked away to the Diamonds know where.

 

Meanwhile, Angel Aura had taken Pearl to a secluded room on the lowest floor, where a larimar chained her to a pipe with an extremely short chain by her left leg. Another larimar rushed into the room.

"There's a problem in second class and we need you immediately, ma'am." She requested of the other larimar.

"I'll take care of the pearl." Angel Aura offered before the two larimars left the room.

 

Pink Agate led Rose to the deck where they were loading the lifeboats. Firecrackers were being let off, illuminating the night sky in brilliant bursts of color and light in hopes that another ship would be alerted to their predicament. 

Pearl looked out of the porthole that was next to her face. This floor was already almost completely underwater. While Pearl began to accept her death, Angel Aura was arming a shattering device, rolling the ammunition on a desk and smiling ominously at Pearl while doing so.

"I believe I heard earlier that the ship may sink, so I have a boat to catch. But before I do, I need to give you something." Angel Aura said, getting up and walking towards Pearl. She held the shattering device at point blank range from Pearl's gem. 

At that moment, seconds felt like hours and Pearl saw her life flashing before her in her mind's eye. She saw every moment from when she emerged, to when she was almost dissolved, to when she met Rose, to now. 

She was expecting to cease to exist at any minute, but she was shocked when she felt Angel Aura punch her in the chest instead. Pearl collapsed to the floor, unable to lay down completely. Her vision blacked out as she saw Angel Aura exit the room. It didn't take much to severely injure a pearl, and at no other time in her life had that been more evident to Pearl than now.

On the deck, Pink Agate boarded a lifeboat.

"Come on, into the boat, Rose." She said.

"There's plenty of room!" A green sapphire added, patting the seat next to her.

Rose stood frozen in shock.

"Can the lifeboats be seated according to class?" A yellow sapphire asked, standing next to Rose.

"Would you shut up?!" Rose yelled at her, snapping out of her state of shock. The yellow sapphire looked at her in horror.

"There aren't enough lifeboats- not even enough for half the gems on board. Half of the gems here will be dissolved!" Rose explained.

"It's better them than us, don't you think, Rose?" Pink Agate added. Rose stayed silent.

"It's a real pity I couldn't bring all my pearls onto this lifeboat. They'd be worth a lot more by tomorrow, and I could finally get rid of some of them." Pink Agate said.

"You are such a bitch." Rose said.

"Rose, get into the boat. Now!" Pink Agate commanded sternly, seething with rage. Rose simply turned around and left.

 

Pearl awoke, only to find that the water level within the room was up to her chin. She stood up quickly, still feeling disoriented. She leaned back against the pipe, looking out the porthole. 

"This is it." Pearl thought.

"This is really truly it. This is what'll be the end of me." She mentally reiterated.

Rose ran through the hallways as fast as she could, trying to track down the bismuth from earlier. She turned a corner and found the bismuth telling other gems to put on their gem covers.

"Bismuth! I'm so glad to have found you! I need to know where they would put someone under arrest."

"Rose, you must get to a lifeboat. Now take this gem cover an-"

"Bismuth please! I'm doing this whether you cooperate or not, but it'll take longer without it."

"On the very bottom floor, there's a bright pink door at the very end of the hallway. Now you'll need to take the elevator to make it quicker, but no matter how you go about it please do hurry." 

"Thank you." 

Rose rushed to the elevator. 

"I need to go to the lowest floor immediately."

"Ma'am, the elevator is closed." The larimar standing near the elevator door answered. 

"I don't care! I need down there now!" Rose yelled as loud as she could. The larimar did take Rose down to the lowest floor, and as soon as they got there the boiling green water flooded into the elevator. As soon as Rose exited, the larimar abandoned her. Rose waded through the excruciatingly hot water which was up to her mid thighs. It was cluttered with floating furniture, which made slowly making her way to the pink door at the end of the hallway all the more difficult. 

"Pearl! Pearl, I'm coming for you!" She yelled.

Pearl heard Rose yelling for her and was surprised. She wasn't sure if Rose would actually come back for her, after all it's not like upper class gems had ever valued her much previously. Nonetheless, Pearl was relieved to not have been left to dissolve. 

"Rose!" Pearl called out. Rose bolted into the room within seconds.

"Oh Pearl, I'm so happy you're still alive!" she exclaimed.

"Why aren't you wearing a gem cover?" Pearl asked.

"Never you mind- how am I gonna get this chain off of your ankle?"

"You'll probably need to look for a spare key in the cabinet."

"But I don't have the key to the cabinet."

"Well why don't you look in those desk drawers." 

"There's nothing in here!" Rose said in frustration as she rummaged through the doors.

"Bust the glass in the cabinet and look for a key in there!" Pearl said. Rose busted the glass and pulled out a bunch of keys.

"Lift your foot out of the water, Pearl."

"I literally cannot do that."

Rose sat down on the desk, her face in her hands, on the brink of tears. Pearl surveyed the room, looking for another solution.

"That battleaxe behind the door! Get it and cut the chain with it." Pearl said. Rose dropped the keys into the water and got the axe and accidentally chopped into the door trying to unhinge it.

"Now what?"

"Cut the chain!"

Rose bent down and swung at the chain, but missed due to how slow things move in water and for fear of injuring Pearl so badly she would need to reform.

"Try again." Pearl said.

Rose swung again, freeing Pearl and barely missing her left ankle. 

"Now what?" Rose asked.

"What's the status on the deck?"

"It was crowded, but orderly last time I was up there."

"Ok, we need to hurry and go up there and get on a lifeboat if we want to survive."


	6. Chapter 6

Hey y'all. It's been a scary long time since I updated this and for that I apologize. I cannot say for sure when this will be finished, only that it WILL get finished eventually. Thanks for your patience.


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